Hezekiah
1Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old and reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abijah, daugther Ze chariah. 2He did what is pleasing to Yahweh, just as his ancestor David had done.
3In the first month of the first year of his reign, he reopened the gates of Yahweh’s House and repaired them. 4Then he brought the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the eastern square, 5and said to them:
“Listen to me, Levites! Sanctify yourselves now and consecrate the house of Yahweh, the God of our ancestors, and remove from the House everything that defiles it. 6Your ancestors have been unfaithful and have done what is displeasing to Yahweh our God. They have abandoned him; they have turned their faces away from the place Yahweh has made his home, they have turned their backs on him. 7They have even closed the doors of the Vestibule, they have put out the lamps and offered neither incense nor burnt offerings to the God of Israel in the Sanctuary. 8So the anger of Yahweh has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; and what he has done to them has shocked and frightened everyone, as you can see for yourselves. 9This is why our ancestors have fallen by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives have been taken captive.
10But now I have decided to make a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger may be turned away from us. 11My people, be negligent no longer, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand in his presence and serve him, to worship him, and offer him incense.”
12The Levites set to work: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah, of the Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel of the Merarites; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah of the Gershonites; 13Shimri and Jeuel of the sons of Elizaphan; Zechariah and Mattaniah of the sons of Asaph; 14Jehiel and Shimei of the sons of Heman; and Shemaiah and Uzziel of the sons of Jeduthun. 15They gathered their fellow Levites together, purified them, and in obedience to the king’s order and in accordance with the words of Yahweh, they began consecrating in the Temple of Yahweh.
16The priests went inside the house of Yahweh to make it clean. They brought everything unclean they found in the sanctuary of Yahweh, out into the court of Yahweh’s House, and the Levites collected it and carried it outside, into the Kidron Valley. 17They began this consecration on the first day of the first month, and were able to enter the Hall of Yahweh on the eight of the month; they then took eight days to consecrate Yahweh’s House, and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month.
18They then went into the palace of King Hezekiah and said, “We have purified the whole Temple of Yahweh, the altar for burnt offerings with all its furnishings, and the table on which the rows of bread are set with all its furnishings. 19All the furnishings King Ahaz took away during those years he was unfaithful to Yahweh we have put back and consecrated; they are now in front of the altar of Yahweh.”
20King Hezekiah lost no time but called the officials of the city together and went up to Yahweh’s House. 21They brought seven bulls, seven rams and seven lambs, with seven he-goats as a sacrifice for sin on behalf of the royal house, of the sanctuary, and of Judah. The king then told the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer the burnt offering on the altar of Yahweh. 22They slaughtered the bulls and the priests took up the blood and poured it on the altar. They then slaughtered the rams and poured their blood on the altar. 23Then they brought the he-goats, the sacrifice for sin, before the king and the assembly who laid their hands on them. 24The priests slaughtered them, and with their blood on the altar offered a sacrifice to take away the sin of all the people – since the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sacrifice for sin on behalf of all Israel.
25He then ordered the Levites to stand in Yahweh’s House with cymbals, harps and lyres, in accordance with the ordinances of David, of Gad the king’s prophet and of Nathan the prophet; the order had in fact come from Yahweh through his prophets. 26When the Levites had taken their places with David’s musical instruments, and the priests with their trumpets, 27Hezekiah ordered the burnt offering to begin, the hymns of Yahweh began too, and the trumpets sounded, to the accompaniment of the in struments of David king of Israel. 28The whole assembly worshiped, cantors singing, trumpets sounding, until the holocaust was over.
29When the offering was at an end, the king and all there with him fell to their knees and worshiped. 30Then King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to sing praise to Yahweh in the words of David and of Asaph the prophet; they sang praises till their joy was full and then they fell down and worshiped. 31Hezekiah spoke again, “Now you are dedicated to the service of Yahweh. Come forward, bring sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings into Yahweh’s House.” The assembly brought sacrifices and thanks giving offerings: all the generous people brought burnt offerings. 32The number of victims for these burnt offerings was seventy bulls, a hundred rams and two hundred lambs, all as burnt offerings for Yahweh; 33six hundred bulls and three hundred sheep were sacrificed. 34The priests were too few, however, and could not slaughter all these animals, so the Levites helped them until the work was done and the other priests were sanctified; for the Levites were more educated than the priests regarding the requirements of purification. 35There were indeed many burnt offerings besides the fat of the peace offerings which was to be burnt together with the drink offerings. So was completed the consecration of Yahweh’s House. 36Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had helped the people to act so promptly.
